Pancho Ramirez
AAC User
Hello, I'm Francisco Ramirez, also known as Pancho, a Mexican immigrant farmworker. I came to USA in 1999, when I was only 17 years old. My life took a dramatic turn in June 2003 when I endured a life-altering car accident, resulting in a brain stem stroke that left me, at the tender age of 20, paralyzed and robbed of my ability to speak. Consequently, I’ve been in hospitals, and living in nursing home, in Northern California, ever since.
Living with these disabilities has been incredibly challenging, but I've persevered. I taught myself English, earned my GED, and got a certificate in web development. I've even dabbled in French and continue to learn online.
In 2018, I joined a clinical trial at the University of California, in San Francisco, which started at the beginning of 2019. The goal is to help paralyzed people control a robotic arm, and give voices to those who have lost the ability to speak, or have never spoken before.
In 2021, I joined the organization, CommunicationFIRST; a nonprofit dedicated to protecting and advancing the rights of people with speech-related disabilities.
Pancho Ramirez
AAC User
Hello, I’m Francisco Ramirez, also known as Pancho, a Mexican immigrant farmworker. I came to USA in 1999, when I was only 17 years old. My life took a dramatic turn in June 2003 when I endured a life-altering car accident, resulting in a brain stem stroke that left me, at the tender age of 20, paralyzed and robbed of my ability to speak. Consequently, I’ve been in hospitals, and living in nursing home, in Northern California, ever since.
Living with these disabilities has been incredibly challenging, but I’ve persevered. I taught myself English, earned my GED, and got a certificate in web development. I’ve even dabbled in French and continue to learn online.
In 2018, I joined a clinical trial at the University of California, in San Francisco, which started at the beginning of 2019. The goal is to help paralyzed people control a robotic arm, and give voices to those who have lost the ability to speak, or have never spoken before.
In 2021, I joined the organization, CommunicationFIRST; a nonprofit dedicated to protecting and advancing the rights of people with speech-related disabilities.
.